Film making

Cinematograhy - 180 Degree
What is The 180 degree rule?

You'll hear people talk about the 180 degree rule and not crossing the line when filming coverage. What is the line they're referring to?

If you can imagine an actor walking or running in a direction then you can picture the path they are following as a line. If two actors are talking to each other then draw a line to connect the two places where they are standing and extend the line in each direction to the edges of the set. Even if there are many actors in the scene you can still draw a line connecting the two opposing sides of the action.

180 degree line

All coverage should be shot from one side or the other of this imaginary line. The audience subconsciously forms a mental map of where the actors are located in the scene and from the first master shot will be thinking that "Mary is on the left and John is on the right".

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If you go to a close-up of Mary filmed from the other side of the line it will suddenly appear that Mary has jumped to right side of the set. This kind of change is very disconcerting to an audience and, at least momentarily, takes them out of the story as they attempt to reestablish their understanding of where everyone is located. You want to avoid anything that takes your audience out of the emotion of the scene.

In the simple case of one actor walking down the street, if the first setup shows them walking from the right to the left, then all the other coverage should show them walking from the right to the left. If you jump to the other side of the the line it looks like the character has suddenly decided to return to where they came from.

The difficulty comes when you have a circle of actors in a room or seated around a table. The "line" will change position as the dynamics of the conversation change. Then the director needs to carefully plan where the coverage is shot so the edit can gently take the audience to a new understanding of the layout of the scene as the position of the line changes.
Product Reviews
Must Have! The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques The Bible of Cinematography - The five C's: camera angles, continuity, cutting, close-ups, and composition. This book takes the filmmaker through understanding exactly what goes into getting the best image imaginable onto film. The reason this book stands the test of time is for the same reason classic movies do. This book reaches back to a time when techniques that are now standard and routine were invented and created and will give you a better understanding of the vision of what film makers back in the day were trying to create and communicate. Decades after its first printing, this classic is still a rock-solid primer for understanding the basics of cinematography.
Recommended Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Writer Should Know Dialog is one of the best known and obvious elements in a film. But the language of cinema is more subtle and sophisticated than dialog alone. From Metropolis to Kill Bill, this remarkable reference guide reveals 100 of the most powerful visual storytelling tools of the film medium. It demonstrates how master filmmakers use cinematic devices to pump up action, create characater and energize a motion picture's plot. Conceived as a way for writers to learn the visual language of film this book excels as a reference for all filmmakers trying to find the best way to tell a story in images.
Recommended Digital Video Production Cookbook Have you ever watched a big-budget Hollywood movie and wondered "How did they do that?" or, perhaps, "How can I do that?" While digital technology greatly simplifies the filmmaking process, there are many tried-and-true production tricks that only those lucky enough to work in the world of high-budget professional film production get to know. The truth is that setting up a car chase, making a realistic-looking alien, staging a fistfight, creating atmospheric lighting, and using special effects are often not as difficult to master as you might think.

Digital Video Production Cookbook will show you how to create sophisticated-looking visual effects, dramatic shots, and powerful sequences using low-cost methods adapted from high-end professional techniques. Author and award-winning filmmaker Chris Kenworthy explains how you can use a digital video camera and basic editing software, to create high-end production values with household equipment and a little imagination.

The book includes easy-to-follow recipes for:

* Creating bluescreen effects
* Simulating rain, snow, and other natural phenomena
* Working with backlighting, simulated candlelight, and special lighting effects
* Shooting day for night
* Staging safe stunts, chase scenes, and fistfights
* Makeup techniques for aging, bruises, and serious injuries
* Shooting at night
* Working with camera movement
* Adding special effects such as laser bolts, holograms, and explosions and much more.

Packed with full-color, step-by-step instructions, inspirational examples, and authoritative information and advice, this book is the ultimate, no-nonsense cookbook for every aspiring digital filmmaker.

The Filmmaker's Basic Library has all the top-rated filmmaking resources.
Product Reviews
Must Have!



Hollywood Camera Work is advertised as a master course in high-end blocking and staging. If you've never heard of blocking and staging that may explain why you find your attempts at filmmaking look amateurish next to what you see on the screen at the multiplex. Along with bad sound, lighting, and acting, poor placement of the actors and camera are the biggest mistakes for beginning filmmakers. It's the difference between films that look like bad home movies and films that tell an exciting, emotional story.

Per Holmes, the creator of the Hollywood Camera Work DVDs, was a both a successful music producer and music video director. He was puzzled that there wasn't a comprehensive reference on blocking and staging techniques and spent five years creating one of his own. Luckily he decided to share his work and HCW is the result of that effort.

Hollywood Camera Work The set consists of six DVDs comprising nine hours of instruction. The images are almost entirely of simple 3D models of actors and cameras illustrating the concepts. First with an overview shot of the set to show the staging followed by a view through the camera to see the effect. Excellent narration and titles accompany the images so everything is clearly explained. See the web site for some example lessons. Nine hours sounds like a long time but there's a lot covered in this set and the pace is actually pretty fast so be prepared to pause and review often.

Hollywood Camera Work The first two DVDs start with the basic fixed camera setups. The next two DVDs get into advanced setups using dollies and cranes. Finally the last two DVDs put it all together and show how to stage complete scenes starting with the script, followed by staging diagrams, then a look at each setup, and finally showing the entire scene as it looks when cut together. Fortunately HCW assumes you know almost nothing about blocking, composition and how cameras work so the lessons are just as useful for a serious beginner as for an experienced filmmaker.

My criticisms? There's a lot to cover so be prepared to spend a day or two on each DVD or you may feel overwhelmed. At $399 the set is not cheap (about the cost of one class at a film school). I would like to see a printed manual included with some explanation and copies of the scripts and diagrams, but they can be downloaded from the web site. It would also be nice if the set got more into color and lighting and how they play into composition but that would probably require six more DVDs and those subjects are already well covered in other references.

My few quibbles aside Hollywood Camera Work is simply one of the finest learning resources available for the serious filmmaker. It does a superb job of covering one thing very completely. It really is a master class on an important aspect of filmmaking that isn't well covered anywhere else.